Safe rocket fuel could have military applications.

• Author: Thomas, Steff
• Position: GREEN ENERGY

* NASA is testing a green fuel that could cut mission costs and potentially raise performance by 50 percent, a program official said.

Ball Aerospace--a Colorado-based company specializing in the development of space technology--joined NASA to run the Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM), a program focused on developing an environmentally safe fuel that could replace the hydrazine currently used in spacecraft.

If verified as a valid alternative, this new propellant could be used not only in spacecraft, but also in military vehicles that operate on hydrazine, said Roger Myers, executive director of Aerojet Rocketdyne, a partner in the program.

Hydrazine is highly toxic and can induce negative side effects when inhaled or through skin contact. The new propellant, known as AF-M315E, could decrease the danger of working with rocket fuel, said Christopher McLean, GPIM principal investigator from Ball Aerospace.

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"If you get that stuff [AF-M315E] on your hands, you can wash it off and it's not going to kill you," McLean said at a press conference in Washington, D.C.

The Air Force, NASA, Defense Department and commercial companies could benefit from switching to a safer fuel such as the green propellant, Myers said. These organizations could cut costs in the long run because it is less toxic, and therefore less likely to harm employees.

The propellant is a denser fuel that is easier to handle, store and...